Wildfire
by Ukaske
Summary: Set after the end of the series, Yuri Petrov gets wounded one night as Lunatic and passes out in an alley. He wakes up to find his wounds treated and healed by Alixia Raynott. Something about this woman interests Yuri and awakens feelings he's never felt before. They find themselves falling in love with each other but suddenly Alixia's past catches up with her. Eventual mature.
1. Chapter 1

_5 years ago…_

Her vision was blurry and her breathing heavy. Her hands trembled as reality set in. On the ground lie a lifeless body swimming in a pool of blood, a knife protruding from it.

 _Present day…_

Lunatic stumbled in the downpour. He never expected to get injured when he went after a leader of a publicly known crime syndicate. It was getting darker and he was growing weaker. He didn't have any energy to fly home either. He feared that he would pass out dressed as the vigilante and risk exposing his identity to the world. But he had no choice. He made his way into a dark secluded alleyway and collapsed.

Alixia was used to strange things by now but never in her life did she expect to find the most famous vigilante of Sternbild City in the back entrance of her shop. It was still pouring when she discovered the passed-out anti-hero. She moved him into her office and laid him across the small couch she had. She struggled to figure out how his helmet opened. When she finally figured out the contraption she carefully removed it. She gasped.

She sat with a stupefied look as she was face to face with an unconscious Yuri Petrov, Sternbild City's chief of justice. After she snapped back to reality she felt his temperature and gasped again. He was ice cold! 'How long had he been outside in the rain' she thought. Alixia apologized to the unresponsive figure and quickly but gently worked at removing his soaked clothes. In the process of removing his clothing she noticed that there was bleeding on his left shoulder and he had dark bruising around his abdomen. When she finally finished removing his clothes she went to work with treating his wounds.

Yuri woke with a start. He saw the unfamiliar ceiling and quickly looked at his surroundings. It looked like a small office space with the basics. It had a single desk with a computer, a small fridge, and a couch he laid on with a small table and lamp next to it. He noticed that he wore regular a simple t-shirt and sweat pants and not his "hero" suit. He began to panic and he rushed to stand. He lost his balance and collided into the end table to steady himself. But as a result, he knocked off the lamp which landed with a loud noise. He then noticed that his recent wounds were gone. Like they never existed. Confusion set in as he made his way toward the closed door at the other end of the room. Suddenly the door opened and in its place, was a woman. She stood about 5' 4" with dark chestnut hair that fell past her shoulders. Her silver eyes inspected him as he stood there dumbfounded. She gasped as she entered the room. She quickly ran over to Yuri.

"Oh my gosh! You shouldn't be up and moving right now. You might hurt youself Mr. Petrov." She said in a panic.

The color drained from Yuri's face and his eyes widened. She knew who he was. Well to be honest, who wouldn't know who he was? He was one of the officials of the city who frequently made public appearances. But the only thought that made his blood run cold was the fact that there was now someone who knew the identity of his alter ego.

"You need to sit back down. I'll be right back." She said as she gently eased him back on the couch.

Alixia ran out the room. Yuri sat in turmoil. What was going to happen now? Was he going to be involved in a scandal and exposed of his actions of carrying out his idea of true justice? No. He wasn't going to allow it to happen. He was going to have to do something about this woman. But it wasn't in his code to hurt innocents, especially since this one he owed his life to. Alixia returned holding two mugs and tenderly offered one to him.

Yuri took the mug and noticed that it was hot chocolate. He carefully inspected it. Alixia chuckled. Yuri's eyes slightly narrowed at her.

"Don't worry. It's not poisoned or anything. I can trade if it'd make you comfortable." She said with a reassuring smile on her face.

"No need." Yuri roughly responded before he took a sip.

Yuri was taken aback as he drank the hot chocolate. It was better than anything he had ever tasted. He would have drunk the whole thing in one gulp if he could, but it was still scalding.

"Do you like it? It's my own recipe."

Yuri hesitated before responding.

"It's good."

"Hehe. I bet you would have liked to just drink it all in one go, wouldn't you?" She said with a grin.

Yuri flushed at her response and simply went back to attempting to drink the chocolate. They sat in silence. Yuri quietly scanned the room again to figure out where his suit was located. Alixia noticed his movement.

"Ah. You don't have to worry about your um- outfit. I had to kinda destroy it when I was getting it off you. So I had to go out and buy you new ones. D-don't worry though. I properly disposed of it so you don't have to worry."

More silence.

"A-also um, you don't have to worry about the press or anything. It's not my place to reveal anyone's secrets they have. When you get your strength back you're more than welcome to leave. You won't hear from me again. Promise."

When Yuri still didn't respond Alixia started to silently panic.

"Did you heal my wounds?"

At Yuri's question Alixia jumped. Alixia hesitated before she nodded.


	2. Chapter 2

At Yuri's question Alixia jumped. Alixia hesitated before she nodded.

"I see." Yuri said in response. "Why are you not registered into the NEXT system?"

"Huh? Oh. U-um…" Alixia stuttered.

"Nevermind. Don't worry about it."

"AH!" Alixia suddenly shouted. Which made Yuri spill his drink. "I have to open the shop right now!"

Alixia set down her drink and ran out the room while tying on a yellow apron. Yuri stared at her as she left the room. After a few minutes, he got up and followed her. He found himself in a small café. The interior overall light brown theme with brick walls and pastel colored chairs with small potted plants that adorned the walls and counter and a small flat screen that took space in one of the corners. 'It definitely has a cute girly theme to it.' Yuri thought. He stood as he watched Alixia run back and forth working on small details. She finally opened the door holding a chalkboard sign and she greeted a small group of elders who were standing patiently just outside the door.

"Alixia dear, you're late this morning. Charlie here has been complaining non-stop about how he hasn't had his morning coffee yet."

"Ha-ha. I'm sorry Paul. Something came up and I got distracted."

Paul glanced at Yuri and smirked.

"Ah-ha. I see. You finally got a boyfriend and I bet you guys were all lovey-dovey in the back, weren't you?"

Alixia's face turned beet red and she started to panic.

"He and I aren't like that Paul!" her face suddenly lowered, "please don't tease me about it."

"Way to go Paul. Now you've made Alixia all uncomfortable!" Charlie said while slapping Paul upside the head.

Yuri found the scene to be somewhat entertaining and he chuckled. Alixia noticed his reaction and she covered her face in embarrassment.

Yuri made himself comfortable at the counter and all throughout the day he observed Alixia as she bustled back and forth from customer to customer. When it finally died down she stood behind the counter and worked on wiping down dishes.

"I'm surprised you stuck around as long as you did Mr. Petrov." Alixia said with a tired smile.

"You know my name. But I don't know yours."

"Oh. I'm sorry. My name is Alixia Raynott."

"I see."

They sat in silence while she finished drying the rest of the dishes.

"To answer your question from before, I never registered because I would do more harm than good if people knew. That's why I never bothered. Is it the same with you as well? I never knew that you were a NEXT as well Mr. Petrov."

"I don't want to be dolled up and paraded around. It gets to people's heads and they lose sight of true justice. They treat catching criminals as a game. Even without my powers I deliver justice to evil. But some criminals can never atone for their sins unless they pay with their lives."

"I agree with you. But the things some people have done can never be atoned for." Alixia said while staring into the distance.

Yuri gazed at her and when she snapped back to reality she turned to him with a smile.

"Do you like tea Mr. Petrov?"

He nodded and she went about fixing two cups of tea. Yuri was enchanted as he watched her graceful movements. He didn't notice that he was staring until she spoke.

"Do you like sugar in your tea?"

"Six."

Alixia's eyes widened and then she giggled. Yuri's eyes narrowed.

"Is there anything wrong with it?" He said in a sour tone.

A smile spread across her face as she walked over and handed him his cup.

"There's nothing wrong with having a sweet tooth Mr. Petrov. I myself like eight, so I guess that makes me worse than you. I can't stand bitter things. I guess it was just kind of unexpected that you'd like sweet things. But I suppose since you use that brain of yours all the time you'd need all the energy from the sugar."

Yuri murmured in agreement as he took a sip of his tea. He smiled as he savored the richness of the tea.

"Lady Grey." Yuri spoke nonchalantly. Alexia beamed.

"You know your tea Mr. Petrov. I'm impressed. Lady Grey is actually my favorite, that and vanilla chai."

"I prefer tea over coffee and alcohol. Tea has many benefits for the body whereas for coffee and alcohol the more you drink the more you are dependent upon it."

"You always have such philosophical opinions about the simplest of things Mr. Petrov."

"Is it a bad thing?"

Alixia shook his head.

"Not at all. It's good that you are so opinionated. Not everyone cares to think as you do. They are so caught up in the moment that they never think about what effect it would have on others. You have a warm heart."

Yuri choked on his tea. Warm heart? She must be out of her mind to think that he had a warm heart. He killed people. Granted they were nothing but murderers and rapists and thieves but nonetheless people.

"You're a weird one."

"I suppose it's good to be myself than to lie to myself just to fit in society." Alixia glanced at her watch. "Well I guess I should probably close shop. You're welcome to stay until I'm finished if you'd like."

"Let me help." Yuri said as he got up.

For the next hour Yuri and Alixia worked together and tidied up the small establishment. At the end Alixia went into the office to gather her belongings while Yuri waited by the back entrance. Alixia locked up and they bid each other goodnight and parted ways. After a few steps Yuri stopped. He looked at Alixia's silhouette and decided to run after her. He called out to her.

"Wait!" Alixia turned around, "The streets at night are dangerous. I can't allow you to walk at night by yourself. At least let me see you home safe."


	3. Chapter 3

"Wait!" Alixia turned around, "The streets at night are dangerous. I can't allow you to walk at night by yourself. At least let me see you home safe."

Alixia looked at Yuri in shock. Then a smirk spread across her face.

"Is that just an excuse for you to follow me home?" She said playfully.

Yuri glared at her.

"How rude. I just don't want anything bad to happen to you if I could have prevented it."

Alixia giggled.

"I'm just joking. You can walk me home if it'd make you happy."

"Thank you." Yuri nodded.

The two of them walked in silence. When they finally reached their destination, Yuri noticed that her home was in a rundown apartment complex. He turned to her.

"Is this neighborhood even safe for a woman living by herself?" He said with a frown.

Alixia shrugged.

"I haven't had any issues yet. I mind my own business so no one pays any attention to me."

"I see."

They stood awkwardly beside the building. Alixia found the silence to be uncomfortable.

"So… thanks for walking me home. Have a nice life."

When she turned to leave she felt him grab her arm and Alixia recoiled. Yuri noticed her reaction and quickly apologized.

"Miss Raynott, would it be okay with you if I came to visit the shop again?" He said sheepishly.

Alixia smiled at him.

"You can just call me Alixia, and you're welcome to stop by anytime."

That night Yuri laid in bed and stared into space as he thought about the events that occurred earlier that day. He woke up to find all his wounds from his previous encounter virtually gone, met a strange woman who swore to him that she'd keep his secret, and in the end, he stayed long enough to walk her home. What was wrong with him? No one would ever trust a total stranger with such dangerous information about themselves. Normally he wouldn't care to associate himself with someone at a personal level. But there was something about her that intrigued him. He couldn't quite point out why but he felt that with her, he could trust her. 'Maybe it's her personality. The fact that she could understand my view on things. But for someone to agree with my opinion must have had some bad experience in their past.' He thought.

He shook his head. He didn't want to picture what kind of horrid thing she must have experienced for her view of the world to be as twisted as his.

He closed his eyes and tried not to think about the bubbling ball of energy of a woman he met that day and how much he wanted to be with her.

For the next week Alixia waited for Yuri to visit. But with each passing day she steadily became gloomy. Her regulars Paul and Charlie who always came for the coffee and daily news she had playing in the corner would always tease her about the 'Handsome Male Friend'.

Alixia knew that she shouldn't trust him, especially since they had met just the other day. But there was something about him that made her feel safe. She knew to never trust anyone wholeheartedly. She was never going to make that same mistake again. She sighed and went about her lonely day.

Yuri was surprisingly on edge that day. Normally he's very cool and composed but with Wild Tiger's come back from being retired and his joining of the recently formed Second League Heroes the collateral damages kept piling up which meant more work with him. He admired Kotetsu's sense of justice but if his way led to thousands of dollars' worth of damage he'd rather Kotetsu stayed retired.

With Yuri's overload of work, it stopped him from visiting Alixia. He was sure that she was plenty busy on her end as well. From what it looked like, it seemed like she was the only person running the small shop. He was also sure that she probably had forgotten all about him. He on the other hand, couldn't keep himself from thinking about her. As much as he tried to push her out his mind he just wanted to see her again.

For the next few hours Yuri worked on the piles of paperwork that littered his desk. When he finally finished he noticed that the sun had set. He hurriedly packed his suitcase and grabbed his jacket and briskly walked out the building. Like a moth drawn to a flame he made a bee line toward the small café. When he arrived, he was out of breath, however he noticed that it was already closed. His heart sank. He turned to leave, but then a voice called to him.

"Mr. Petrov?"

Yuri spun around to find himself face to face with the thing that had been monopolizing his mind for the past week. She looked radiant compared to anything he had imprinted in his memories. He drank in her presence. He wanted to hold her but his social awkwardness stopped him from doing so.

"What are you doing around here so late?" She inquired.

"I um… I meant to visit a few days ago but work started to pile up and I could never find the time to stop by and formally thank you for saving my life. I know of course that the thank you is a little late but I'd like to invite you to dinner perhaps? It is pretty late though. You don't have to accept of course. If you'd like we could do it a different day." He said warily.

"I'd be happy to." Alixia replied instantly with a grin.

Alixia realized how too quickly she had responded and she blushed at her embarrassing response. Yuri chuckled.

"Alright. My treat. Any particular preference?"

Alixia shook her head. Yuri smiled and hailed a taxi.


	4. Chapter 4

Alixia shook her head. Yuri smiled and hailed a taxi.

'Oh my gosh. I feel so out of place.' Alixia thought as she sat across from Yuri. The two of them arrived at a high-class restaurant and although the snooty greeter kept insisting that she was out of dress code required to dine Yuri used his influence to persuade the greeter otherwise. Yuri was wearing his normal grey dress suit, where Alixia was in a pale yellow knitted sweater and a pair of skinny jeans and low-cut converse. Alixia slowly began to shrink into herself as she felt the stares of the other patrons. Yuri noticed her behavior and glanced around the room. He returned the unwelcome stares with glares. When they all finally went about their own business he turned back to Alixia.

"I apologize Miss Raynott. I should have thought this out better. I never meant for you to become uncomfortable like this."

"You don't have to apologize. It's my fault for being underdressed. Of course, I never have any reason to dress up anyway. I don't even know if I have anything 'fancy'. Ahhh… I don't even know why I'm even telling you this." Alixia said while shrinking even more.

"Then…should we relocate?"

"Huh? But we're already here. After all the trouble you went just to get me in too."

"It's no trouble. Come." Yuri said as he pulled her along.

As the couple walked down the street Alixia became even more flustered from the ongoing stares. Since they left the restaurant Yuri didn't let go of her wrist. Multiple times she to release herself from his grasps but he kept a firm grip on her.

"Um, Mr. Petrov. Could I have my arm back? I can walk by myself."

"What?" Yuri snapped back to reality. He quickly apologized and released her arm. They stood in awkward silence.

"So where are we heading Mr. Petrov?" Alixia said to break the silence.

"Do you have a place in mind that you'd like to go to?" He replied.

Alixia thought long and hard. She was always had a hard time making sudden decisions.

"How about a home cooked meal?"

Yuri stared at Alixia with a grim expression. She panicked when she saw his reaction.

"Um! Just kidding! We can do something else- "

"Okay."

"EHHHH?" Alixia's voice rang so loud that Yuri cringed. "Oh. I'm sorry."

"I don't suppose we would be able to do it at your place, could we? I don't have any ingredients on hand at my place and there's also another fact…" Yuri said as he awkwardly tugged at his sleeve.

"That's okay with me. I just hope you don't mind my mess." She replied with a small smile.

When they arrived, Yuri removed his coat and suit jacket, rolled up his sleeves and quickly went to work in her kitchen. Alixia seated herself and tried her best to find other things to occupy her time.

Alixia felt uncomfortable waiting at her small dinner table which was more of just a coffee table with floor pillows for chairs. If anything she was so embarrassed. Here she brought over a man she barely knew into her home. With him being a city official he probably made bank and was probably used to larger living quarters. She lived in a studio apartment. The kitchen, dining room, and bedroom were squished into one space and the bathroom in a separate smaller room.

"So, do you do this often Mr. Petrov?" She asked.

"Do what?" He responded.

"Cook for people you barely know."

Yuri chuckled.

"I could say the same to you Miss Raynott. Do you normally invite strangers into your home and have them cook for you?"

A pout surfaced on Alixia's face.

"I asked you first." She stated.

Yuri was silent for several minutes.

"No, You're special." He replied with his back still turned to her.

Alixia blushed. Did she hear him correctly, or was she just hoping? It's a good thing he was still facing the other way otherwise he would have seen her reaction. 'Oh my gosh. I need to calm down. What is wrong with me?' She thought.

Yuri finished cooking and as he set the table Alixia was fixated on him. He caught her staring but said nothing. She was impressed with the amount of side dishes he made with the little amount she had in her fridge.

"I hope it tastes as good as it looks." She said happily.

"Are implying that my food wouldn't taste good otherwise?"

"What? That's not what I was trying to say at all!" Alixia objected with a blush on her face. Yuri chuckled.

"I'm joking. Come on. Let's dig in."

Right as they were just about to start eating the lights in her apartment flickered then died. Suddenly a crack of lightning tore through the sky followed by a boom that shook the whole apartment. Then the sound of heavy downpour pounded the rooftop. Alixia flinched. Alixia was shaking uncontrollably.

"Miss Raynott, are you okay?"

Another round of lightning flashed and she brought her knees to her face and covered her ears with her hands. She then started to mumble to herself.

"Miss Raynott." No response. "Miss Raynott." He reached over and touched her arm. At the point of contact she jumped.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said with tears streaming down her face.

"Miss Raynott." He pulled her into his arms. She tried to fight against him but he just pulled her head against his chest. "Alixia," he whispered in her ear, "calm down. It's okay. You're safe. Can you hear me?"

As the storm continued to howl Alixia slowly came back to reality. She listened to is steady heartbeat. She closed her eyes and leaned her face closer to his body. His scent was musky with a subtle sweetness to it.

The lights in her apartment flickered back on. Alixia was calmed down by now but she didn't want to leave the warmth of Yuri's body. His arms made her feel so safe. She knew that she couldn't trust anyone this fast under any circumstances but she felt like with Yuri it was a different story. She felt so safe in his arms.

"I'm sorry Mr. Petrov." She said with her face still in his chest. "I bet I ruined the mood for dinner, didn't I?"

"Call me Yuri, and we can still finish if you want." He responded.

The remnants of the storm were still ongoing, but it had been reduced to mostly light showers by then.

"Could we stay like this a bit longer Yuri?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist.


	5. Chapter 5

"Could we stay like this a bit longer Yuri?" She asked as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Sure."

Yuri wasn't sure when it happened, but he noticed that Alixia had fallen asleep in his arms. Her face was turned toward his and he could see the dried tears that remained on her face. She looked so worn out that he didn't dare wake her. He could tell that there was something in her past that haunted her. She had been hurt like him and it pained him to see her like this.

He contemplated whether to stay with her like this or to put her into bed and leave for the night. With a sigh, he carefully lifted her in his arms and put her in bed. When he withdrew his arms, her hand grabbed his sleeve. He tried to loosen her grip but she had an iron grip on his shirt. He sighed in defeat.

Alixia woke up to the chirping of birds. Her head pounded like crazy. She opened her heavy eyes and when her groggy eyes noticed that she was holding something. It was soft to the touch and it smelled nice. Alixia's eyes snapped wide open and she sat up. She was holding a shirt. But it wasn't her shirt. It was Yuri's. Her face blushed when the events of last night slowly came back to her.

"Oh my gosh. How am I going to face him from now on? I showed him such an embarrassing scene last night." Her stomach growled. "That's right. We never got to eat last night."

Alixia looked at the dinner table and noticed that it was bare except for a note. She got up and picked it up. It read:

 _I cleaned up the dishes and put the leftovers in the fridge. Make sure you properly heat them up before you eat. I'm heading out first._

 _-Yuri_

Alixia stood in awe. The Justice Tower was massive. Her shop and apartment was actually located in the furthest part of the city, away from the busy metropolitan section, so she never really had a chance to see the tower in person. Seeing the tower in person was one thing, however, going inside was another. Her grip on the bag she was holding tightened as she thought about how she was going to find Yuri. The only thing she really knew was where he worked and even then, she didn't know if she'd be able to find him without getting kicked out for looking suspicious.

"Do you need help, Miss?" a voice said from behind her.

Alixia turned around and was face to face with Wild tiger. He was in casual street clothes but he had his mask on so you could tell it was him.

"AH! I'm not anyone suspicious. I promise, I'm actually a hero. I'm Wild Tiger." He said with a confident pose.

Alixia tried to hold in her laughter but she ended up bursting into giggles.

"I know who you are," she said in between her laughs, "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. I just find your personality so bubbly and full of laughter. It's exactly as I imagined."

Suddenly Wild Tiger grabbed her hands with tears in his eyes. Alixia jumped at the sudden contact.

"That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me! Usually everyone just ignores me and makes fun of how much of a useless hero I am."

"I wonder if you could help me then Wild Tiger." She said with a smile on her face.

"Absolutely." He replied nodding enthusiastically.

*Hero Workout room*

"So why did you bring her here Wild Tiger? Why not just take her straight there?" An irritated Barnaby asked the older man.

"Ah… well ya see, I got lost along the way and I forgot how to get there. So, I brought her here where I knew that you guys would know." Wild Tiger responded as he was laughing and scratching the back of his head.

Barnaby sighed with an irritated look on his face.

"I should have known that was the reason for this." He turned toward Alixia, "My name is Barnaby Brooks Jr. It's nice to meet you. So where was did this idiot trying to take you?"

"Hey! Don't call me an idiot." Tiger said with a frown.

"My name is Alixia Raynott. It's nice to meet you as well. I'm trying to find a friend of mine. His name is Yuri Petrov, he works as a judge here."

Everyone in the workout room froze and the all stared at her. Alixia was getting nervous from their reaction. 'Did I say something weird?' She thought. Suddenly they all swarmed her.

"Oh my! I didn't know that the judge had any friends. He's always so cold towards me when I greet him." Fire emblem said to her.

"I agree. He never tries to talk to us unless it's about work." Sky High added.

"He's probably tired of you trying to pick him up, Fire Emblem." Rock Bison said with a sigh.

"How mean! Who could resist my charming self?" Fire Emblem said dramatically.

"Rock Bison has a good point there. You try to cling to handsome men too much." Origami Cyclone interjected from behind.

"Man! You boys are so me-an!" Fire Emblem complained.

Alixia found the whole conversation to be amusing and she giggled at how childish they were acting. Barnaby shook his head at how rowdy the group was getting. So, he decided to call the judge. He went to the wall phone that was in the workout room and looked for his name in the list on the screen. Barnaby pressed the button and after three rings the other party answered the phone.

"This is Petrov."

"Mr. Petrov? This is Barnaby. I have someone here looking for you."

"Huh? Did they make an appointment? I don't have anyone scheduled."

"No. I don't think they made one."

"Could you tell them to come back when they book an appointment? Have them talk to the front desk, could you? I'm really busy right now."

"Ah! Wait! If I remember correctly her name is Alixia Raynott."

"…"

"Hello? Mr. Petrov? Are you still there?"

*Click*

Barnaby frowned in confusion. 'What was that about? And after she came all the way here too.' He thought. He sighed and made his way back to the rowdy bunch.


	6. Chapter 6

Barnaby frowned in confusion. 'What was that about? And after she came all the way here too.' He thought. He sighed and made his way back to the rowdy bunch.

"So what's your relationship with the judge Miss Raynott?" Blue Rose asked eagerly.

"I-is he your l-lover?" Dragon Kid asked nervously.

Alixia became flustered and started to panic.

"What? Yuri and I don't have that kind of relationship! We're just…" 'Eh? Can I really call us friends? I mean we barely know each other.' She thought to herself.

"Oh! But you're on first name terms with him aren't you? And you totally just blushed didn't you?" Blue Rose said excitedly.

Right when Alixia was going to protest. The large doors of the workout room opened and there stood an out of breath Yuri. He saw the group and a scowl painted on his face. He then proceeded to march up to them and grabbed Alixia's wrist and proceeded out the door. The panicked Alixia looked at the group as they departed and saw the surprised looks on their faces.

Yuri led Alixia throughout the building which resulted in multiple stares as they passed. Alixia became flustered but she wouldn't dare say anything to Yuri. He had a look on his face that could kill.

When the two of them reached his office he pulled her inside and he turned his back to her as he shut the door. They stood in silence.

"I'm sorry I came to your workplace and caused you so much trouble Mr. Petrov." Alixia said with her head bowed.

More silence followed. 'All I wanted to do was apologize for yesterday and return his shirt.' Alixia thought. But at that point hot tears were streaming down her face. She tried to wipe her tears but no matter how hard she tried they just kept flowing.

"Why are you crying?" Yuri said breaking the silence.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry." She said. 'I'm sorry that you have to see this pathetic side of me' Alixia finished in her head.

Yuri closed the distance between them and pulled her into an embrace. Alixia tried to free herself but his arms wouldn't let her.

"Why are you apologizing?" He said as he buried his face in her hair.

"*Hic* I'm sorry Mr. Petrov."

"Didn't I tell you to call me by my given name?"

Alixia simply shook her head in response. Tears were still running down her face. Yuri pulled her closer, as she sobbed into his shoulder.

When Alixia's crying transitioned into nothing more than sniffles her legs gave way. But since Yuri was already holding her he had no problem catching her full weight.

"I'm sorry." Alixia said with a cracked voice.

"Again with the apologies." Yuri sighed.

"I've caused all kinds of trouble for you here at your workplace. Now there's going to be all kinds of misunderstandings. If I'd known I wouldn't have come. Yesterday and today. All I ever do is cause problems for you. I'll just leave you alone from now on. I'm sorry." She tried to break away from his grasp but he just held her tighter.

"No." He replied. "I won't forgive you."

"Wha- "

"Don't leave me. Nothing you could ever do would ever make me hate you."

Alixia let out a tired laugh.

"You just said I could never do anything to make you hate me but then you say if I leave you'd never forgive me. You're so contradictory Yuri."

"You make me so confused. I don't know what's going on anymore. Ever since I met you I can't get you out of my mind."

"Me too. Ever since I met you my mind has been a mess. All the walls I built are crumbling and it's all your fault. I even ruined your suit as well." Alixia said with tears returning in her eyes.

"You're such a crybaby." Yuri said as he gently wiped away her tears.

"Yuri…"

In that moment Yuri leaned in and claimed her lips. Alixia's eyes drifted shut. Then, as if burnt, Alixia broke the kiss and pulled back. She saw hurt flash over Yuri's face. When he stared to withdraw from their embrace she caught Yuri's face with her hands and pulled him to her face.

"Wait Yuri." His pale green eyes met her silver. "It's just that I'm not used to this. I hope you understand."

"Okay. We'll just take it one step at a time." He replied with a tender look in his face, "You're the only person I've ever been with so forgive me if I'm clumsy or awkward." He added with flushed cheeks.

Alixia giggled at how cute and innocent Yuri was acting.

"You're adorable Yuri." She said with a smile.

"Hmph, coming from a crybaby like you, I feel offended." He playfully said as he poked her forehead.

"How rude." Alixia responded with her cheeks puffed out.

Alixia glared at Yuri. He saw through her façade and started to laugh and soon enough she joined in. When the last waves of laughter faded they stood in silence and stared into each other's eyes.

"Ah! I almost forgot! I brought back your shirt along with a thank you gift." Alixia said abruptly.

She bent down and retrieved the paper bag she brought. She handed it to Yuri.

"What's the gift?" He asked.

"My special recipe of pumpkin muffins." She beamed.

"Then do you want a redo for last night?"

"What? But You're still working right now." She said in a panic. Yuri chuckled at her reaction.

"After work. I'll drop by your place tonight." He responded with a light kiss on the back of her hand.


End file.
